New Year’s Resolutions 2019

Today is November 29th and we still have about a month until new year hits. You’re probably wondering why on earth I’m writing about new year’s resolutions — we’re all procrastinators, aren’t we? 😉

Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s never too early nor too late to start planning for your new year’s resolution!

In fact, I started mine in mid-October of last year and I’ve been tracking my progress since. There’s still a lot that I need to learn, so it will be an ongoing progress despite the time, year, and month. So, why don’t we just call it life resolutions? haha…

I know the festive holidays are coming, but I encourage all of you to start now!

Don’t forget to pin this!

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Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s is just one of the most exciting times of the year because that’s when we start planning for our new goals so that we can become a better version of ourselves. With that said, I created a top 10 new year’s resolutions list for you to follow.

BTW, if you’re new here, my blog mainly focuses on money and personal finance where I LOVE to share my very best tips with you. I created a round-up of my best blog posts below to help you conquer your finances for 2019!

Here are some of my most popular posts that helped my readers reach their financial goals:

Before we dive into this post, I want to mention one of my favorite ways to get FREE cash and gift cards. This program is called Swagbucks and it helps me save money each year (it’s free to join and use). I can redeem FREE gift cards from Amazon and Starbucks just by surfing the web, playing games, doing surveys, shopping online, and watching videos. They also offer many other FREE gift cards — check them out over here!

New Year’s Resolution List 2019

Anyway, to help you prepare for the upcoming New Year, I compiled a new year’s resolutions list(*ahem* life resolutions) that will surprisingly improve your finances for 2019 — or forever. This stuff really helped me over the years!

Let’s take a look at our top 10 new year’s resolutions, shall we?

1) Learn and read more about finance

After all, this is a personal finance blog so it’s not a surprise to see me mention a few of my favorite personal finance books!

You can consider learning more about this topic if you really want to improve your finances.

Are you a total newbie at this? No sweat — I was too! I started with the baby steps…

Start off by reading blogs to get comfortable around the topic. Once you get the hang of it, you can make it a goal to start reading a personal finance book each month. This is what I did over a year ago, and it improved my finances substantially. It’s what made the difference between living paycheck to paycheck and amassing over $700,000 in wealth and savings!

I’m not even close to being an expert, but I am learning a little bit each day. As each day passes, I’m building a foundation that provides me with the prerequisite to learning something else. As Warren Buffett says, “that’s how knowledge works, it compounds like interest.”

2) Learn how to monetize a new skill or hobby

Are you looking for some fun new year’s resolutions that could potentially earn you some money?

Some hobbies cost money, but some can be monetized. With that said, you can consider picking up a skill or hobby that can help you pay for your bills or save for a vacation.

For example, I started a fun furniture flipping side hustle to earn extra money about a year ago. I may not be skilled at it, but I enjoy the learning process — not to mention, the extra cash as well.

Another example is my fiancé and I learned how to become landlords since we bought our first property. Initially, we were nervous as f*#k and terrified of the stories we hear such as missed payments, property damages, sour relationships, etc. But we stopped letting fear get in our way and just took the chance. Things turned out much better than expected! 🙂

Overall, learning a new skill or hobby can help you improve your finances — you can either save on the cost or earn extra income; sometimes even both.

So, if something piques your interest, don’t be afraid to try it out!

⭐️ UPDATE: Blogging is another one of my favorite hobbies today. If you asked me over a year ago, I had NO CLUE that blogs could make money! I am really surprised that I made $5,532.13 from my blog last month in EXTRA income. I just started my blog near the end of 2017. This new hobby was literally in my new year’s resolutions 2018 list during that time!

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Creative new year’s resolutions:

3) Get in shape

Every time I hear people talk about new year’s resolutions and their goal to build those sexy abs, the first image that comes to mind is Jessica Alba’s “Into the Blue“ photo shoots. An old film, but who can forget how fabulous she looked in that light-blue bikini??

But aside from looking and feeling great about your body, studies show that there are hidden financial benefits of being fit.

According to this article by Lacie Glover, an author at NerdWallet, she writes:

“A study published in the Journal of Labor Research found that men who work out regularly can expect to make 6% more than their sedentary counterparts, on average. For women, the pay boost is higher: Fitness-savvy females make 10% more, on average.”

Glover’s article also mentions that those who exercise regularly take less sick days. Based on research from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, these sick days become a lost source of income and/or a missed opportunity for promotions.

On top of that, those who exercise regularly have a lower chance of becoming sick. I read here that according to the World Health Organization source, people who are more fit can save roughly $500 per year on health care expenses.

There are many other hidden financial benefits of being fit, but isn’t this enough to motivate you to burn those calories off?

And for the men out there, are you ready to reap some of those financial benefits by getting ripped?

4) Become more productive

This point also ties in with the benefits of being fit.

In addition to the sources above, I found another article by Julie Boehlke at LIVESTRONG where she talks about the relationship between exercise and productivity.

Based on this post, exercise can improve your work productivity because being alert, energized, and positive can help you get your work done quicker.

Personally, I can attest to this. Generally, I would do cardio five times a week along with some ab workout. But on the days when I flop, I would feel like $hit and perform like a snail at my desk – like……. literally!

Source: Avatar created using Bitmoji app

Going back to the article, Boehlke mentions that these factors (i.e. being alert, energize) make you more eligible for promotions and other job opportunities. However, if you don’t exercise regularly, Boehlke adds that “you could be putting your health, and your job, at risk.”

Want to improve your productivity? You can read this Inc. post by John Rampton. I am totally on board with him when he recommends us to quit multitasking!

5) Adopt a healthy diet

At this point, you’re probably thinking: “Okay… it seems like becoming an overall health nut is financially beneficial.”

You’re probably right on that one haha!

Overall, consuming the right foods can lower your healthcare costs as well according to this article.

On top of reducing healthcare costs, and in some cases insurance premiums, preparing healthy meals at home is wallet-friendly compared to dining out.

Think about how much you spend on breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. While it’s perfectly fine to eat out with friends and family (I get it, it’s a social thing and I do it once to twice a week), it’s a good idea to keep track of your expenses. Not to mention, it’s also a good idea to track the type of calories you’re consuming. I can tell you that most of the food you consume from any type of restaurant is packed with bad calories that contain high sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fats.

As a new year’s resolution (or even now), do yourself a favor by reducing the bad foods and cooking more healthy meals at home. Your finances will improve along with your health as a result!

6) Reduce the alcohol

I know you probably don’t want to hear this now, especially when Christmas and New Year’s Eve is around the corner! But we all know how expensive drinks can get (I hope you do).

Though it’s fine to drink in moderation, this can really add up over the years. Think of the times you joined your coworkers for drinks after a long stressful day at work. Or maybe the time when you were in Vegas and bought a round for your friends.

If you’re quite the drinker, these results will shock you. My fiance knows how this feels because he attends these events from time to time with his work buddies.

And I hate to say this, but this isn’t going to improve your finances for 2018, or ever!

Source: Avatar created using Bitmoji app

So, if your calculation came out to be in the thousands, you may want to cut back.

Alternatively, you can consider arranging drink events with your friends at someone’s place to save money. My friends and I opt for this option and it’s definitely budget friendly! I’m sure that’s what most of you are doing for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. 😉

7) Quit smoking

I was never a smoker, but growing up with a father and grandpa who used to smoke A LOT, I can understand how it can be tough to quit.

But thinking about their kids’ health, and the monetary costs (the cigarettes, medical, insurance, etc.), both my daddy and grandpa worked extremely hard to break their habits.

An article by Christina Couch mentioned that it takes about two months or so to break a bad habit according to a study by researchers at University College London in the UK.

If this doesn’t convince you to stop, consider reading this post about the million-dollar habit of smoking. It mentions that according to a study from WalletHub, the average smoker for 51 years will spend more than $1 million on both cigarettes and health care for tobacco-related illnesses.

With that said, consider making an effort to quit this habit to improve your health. And let’s not forget that you’re trying to improve your financial situation, right?

8) Save more money for…

Ah, okay… you’re probably thinking “NO $HIT, Captain Obvious!”

But let me tell you a story.

For the longest time, a lot of my friends and coworkers get all hyped up and tell me they want to start saving. However, when I ask them how, for what, and why, their response would go something like this:

“I’m not sure why or how, but it’s a new year and I wanna start fresh. Maybe I’ll stop buying coffee and lunch every day. It would be nice to have more money.”

For example, when I started my financial journey last October, I knew that I was saving for financial freedom. I didn’t want to get stuck in the corporate world for the rest of my life.

Because I was determined to get the f*#k out, I did all that I could to increase my savings and net worth — started a side gig, educated myself about finance, decluttered and sold most of the stuff I didn’t need, and much more!

You can also see our progress since we started taking our finance more seriously. This is our November 2017 net worth update and it shows our progress since December 2016. We were extremely surprised with the results!

9) Get organized

Not only do you earn money from selling your stuff, but studies show that a clutter-free environment can improve your overall health and productivity. Again, your health and productivity have a direct impact on your finances.

10) Follow at least one person that you admire and inspires you

There’s a quote that goes:

“Surround yourself with those who only lift you higher.” – Oprah Winfrey.

There’s also another quote that goes:

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

Although I’m not surrounded by many positive influencers, I truly believe in these two quotes. And I really believe that this advice will improve your finances and your life!

Source: Avatar created using Bitmoji app

I’m not saying that my friends and family aren’t admirable, but most of them don’t believe in financial independence nor my view about living a fulfilling life.

Like the majority, they believe in working a nine-to-five and living paycheck-to-paycheck (and maybe just saving a little bit). Now, I’m not here to say who’s right or wrong — this is a personal choice. At the end of the day, I still admire and love all of them!

You can watch this amazing documentary Becoming Warren Buffett here. I absolutely love everything about this documentary — the way he built his wealth over time is very humbling and inspiring. The documentary also taps into his personal life and story which allows viewers to see the human side of him!

Overall, I learned more about him by reading his biography, books, and watching his documentary. This may sound crazy, but I wake up each morning browsing for his quotes on my phone. It’s what gets me going throughout the day.

Aside from following Warren Buffett, I also started to follow the blogging community. Over a year ago, I started to read a bunch of books and blogs that talk about personal finance, DIY, investing, and self-help. To my surprise, all of this improved my financial situation!

In addition to that, I improved as an overall person. I started to realize what I’m passionate about — finance and DIY decor. And this was one of the reasons why I started this blog. This blogging journey will be an uphill battle for me, but I want to start following and surrounding myself with all the wonderful bloggers out there who have similar mindsets.

So, here’s my point:

Start surrounding yourself with the right people (even if it’s all online or following your role models). It will do wonders for both your finances and self-development.

11) Change your mindset

The most important of all, change your mindset. Don’t underestimate this. Without it, all the points I mentioned in this post would not be helpful.

Not too long ago, I was a very pessimistic person — they would call me a Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer.

Source: avatar created using Bitmoji app

To escape this hole, I had to change my mindset. Now, it doesn’t happen overnight and this is something I’m still working on.

As mentioned above, I started feeding information and facts about Warren Buffett into my head. I started reading posts written by personal finance bloggers and listening to their webinars. On top of that, I saved a collection of my favorite inspirational quotes onto my phone. Overall, I kept feeding positive, motivational, and inspirational ideas into my head. As a result, I can attest that this significantly improved my finances for the year in 2017.

At the end of the day, only you can control your mindset. So start now.

Readers, what are you waiting for? Make this list your financial life resolutions forever. Change your mindset, and your finances will follow! As a New Year’s Resolution start, don’t forget to check out the best places to get FREE cash below! What a great way to add extra money to your bank account! 🙂

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23 Comments

This is a great list that we can definitely make it our life goals. The last one about changing your mindset is the most important in my opinion. Once you’ve changed your mindset, the other resolutions will definitely become easier to achieve.

Solid list. I never knew squats could help my bank account. I guess that is reason number 1001 to keep hitting the gym.

#8 is going to be high on our list over the next few months. We have let our 1-year-old turn our house into a zoo. We have just started clearing out some old stuff and so far it feels amazing. I’m so excited to have the whole house minimalized (word?).

Hey GYM! Yeah, I can imagine it being tough when you have a kid and blog to manage lol!! That’s some serious skills!

But it’s great to hear that you write the exercises on calendar. I find that writing things down will hold us accountable.

And yes! I was reading the snowball until I started this blog so it took away some of my time but I’ll have to get back to finishing it!! As for twitter account, I’m going to make an effort to learn one social media at a time. So I don’t have a twitter account yet. That’s actually one of my resolutions along with FB hahaha!

I would love to attend BRK AGM one of these days! But of course one thing at a time. I’m also looking into buying some of those shares but I haven’t made it a priority yet… ahhh too many things to do! 😄

I just bought one share to get the shareholder pass. I still have that single share and it’s gone up 25%! My husband had BRK.B as well and he had some passes as well. If I recall you get 2-4 passes for each shareholder.

Man, blogging takes up a lot of time! My non-fiction reading (or really any book reading) has gone down since starting the blog too.

Nice list, I want get back into a workout routine I used to have before we had our baby but it’s tough right now. The only time I have is when we put him to sleep around 8 in the evening but I either forget or too tired. Probably now is a good time to get back into some type of workout regime. I’ve look into taking a furniture making class at our local community college and hopefully I have time to take an evening class sometime next year. I would feel more productive that I have some knowledge of how to make a chair or table.

Oh yeah, having kids will be tough for sure but I’m sure you can make it happen! For me, I usually get off work at around 6/7pm and would get home by 7/8pm. So I would eat dinner beforehand and just go for a run around 9pm 😣 no matter how tired I feel. I usually think of a really unhealthy version of myself with love handles to motivate me. The horrifying imagination really works! Lol…

And wow! Furniture making class? That sounds awesome! That would be a really cool skill to have!! Let me know how that goes. I wish you luck with it! 😉

Awesome list here! I think I’m gonna have to go with point #8. For some reason I’ve just amassed a bunch of needless stuff over the years. Doesn’t help that I just stick all these random collections into boxes and drawers all over the place.

But it might be time that I get rid of some of this stuff once and for all. Just the thought of having to do that scares me…but I guess I need to start somewhere!

It’s odd but I never liked milk chocolate. I always loved dark chocolate since I was a lil’ kid. 😁

I never bit my nails because my Dad would hit me when I did, so I never tried.

My younger sis had that habit for 10 years (my Dad is a bit more easy on her), but she stopped because she realized she couldn’t paint her nails with that habit… and getting arcrylic nails wasn’t an option for her 😂

Congrats on your success with cutting the alcohol! It must have been very challenging but I’m happy to hear that you did it! Ohh and dark chocolate is SO awesome! Idk how so many ppl can dislike it, but I fell in love with it when I was a kid… never liked milk chocolate that much (except for Ferrero Rocher hazelnut haha).

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About Finsavvy Panda

Welcome to Finsavvy Panda!I love everything about saving, investing, earning, and building net worth. I’m all for flexibility and balance, so I’d love ❤ to help you do all of this without having to deprive yourself! Since Oct 2016, my boyfriend and I have been working towards freeing ourselves from corporate bullsh!t to become financially independent. If you want to hop on the happiness boat, come join us!